You run your own business and you want it to flourish, naturally. Social media is a powerful tool to use in your marketing plan. Although it's popular personal use gives the notion that it's easy to use as a business tool, it's actually important that your business is always presented professionally, on-brand, and with marketing best practices in mind. These 5 social media tips will help any business owner or social media manager present engaging, creative, on-brand content:
Know your audience: This tip may seem basic but it's one of the most crucial tips to keep in mind when writing content or sharing content for your business. Going too far from the voice your brand has worked hard to develop, can alienate your audience. Consistency is key!
Be authentic: It's a crowded market. Yes, your business is unique -- show people who you are and what you do that is special. And, don't just say it once, people don't always see your post so posting on social media more than once with the same messaging is expected. Repetition is necessary!
Don't get caught up in being perfect: While it's true that professionalism goes a long way in business, in social media people want to know that there's an actual human behind the business. Humans aren't robots, so don't get caught up in being perfect before getting into social media. You don't have to be perfect to engage with your audience. If they love your product, they will love you online.
Tag your suppliers, retailers, friends, neighbors, local businesses in your posts: Writing a great post will get you far, but it will get you further if you tag people who may also be related to or interested in your content.
Don't ignore the need for quality photography and/or imagery: You will need more than stock photography to run effective social media for most businesses. Simple photography hacks work well for products, food, restaurants, hotels on a newer iPhone. Using Portrait mode while photographing food, editing photos with the use of filters, cropping, and light adjustments will take you far. Additional editing and graphics can be done with a free service like Canva, adding text to an image, or even putting more than one image into a grid.
Using these social media tips you'll be well on your way to social media success. If you need help in avoiding the pitfalls of starting up your accounts, creating graphics, auditing your presence, or just managing your content, I'd be happy to help.
